Rapunzel
Book title Rapunzel
Author, Illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher, Year Dutton., 2002
Bibliography
Zelinsky, P. O. (2002). Rapunzel. New York: Dutton.
Plot
The story of Rapunzel is a retelling of a couple who
wished to have a child. When they learned that the wife was expecting a child,
the wife craved to eat the vegetable rapunzel. The husband tried to steal from
his neighbor’s, the sorceress, garden. On his second trip to the garden, the
old sorceress caught him. The sorceress and the husband made a deal, he could
take all the rapunzel he desired if he were to give him his child. The
sorceress took the baby away the day she was born. She named the child after
the vegetable her father traded her for. The sorceress locked the red-golden
hair girl in a tower when she turned twelve years old. The only way to
enter or leave the tower was by climbing Rapunzel’s hair. It wasn’t until years
later when a prince wandered into the woods and heard Rapunzel’s beautiful voice.
The prince would come to the tower often to try to get a glimpse of her. Once
he learned the way to enter the tower, the prince tricked Rapunzel to let him
in. The two fell in love and soon got married in secret. It wasn’t long until Rapunzel
was with child. Once the sorceress found out about Rapunzel’s secret, she cut
off Rapunzel’s hair. The sorceress banished the young girl into the wilderness.
The next time the prince came to the tower, the sorceress tricked the prince
and pretended to be Rapunzel. When he reached the top of the tower, the
sorceress confronted the prince and caused him to fall. The prince did not die
but lost his ability to see. He wandered through the wilderness until a year
later where he found his beloved and children. Rapunzel wept for her beloved
and her tears fell into his eyes. From that moment on, he was able to see, and
the family returned to the prince’s kingdom where they lived happily ever
after.
Critical Analysis
While stories like Disney’s Tangled tells the story
of the girl with long hair in a tower, this retelling by Zelinsky tells the
story of the same girl that was recorded by the Brothers Grimm and has been passed
down from generation to generation. This can be seen in the art style Zelinsky
used in his illustration. By using oil painting that reflects the European
Renaissance ensures that the reader understands that this story took place
centuries ago. It is made clear that Zelinsky uses light colors, such as red-gold
as see in Rapunzel’s hair, to show who is the protagonist in the story and
darker colors such as green and blue that the sorceress wear to show who is the
antagonist.
One of the profound things that were prevalent through this
story was good will triumph over evil. This is a message that is prevalent in
many tales for children and this story was no exception. Also, everything comes
at a price. This can be seen with Rapunzel’s parents as her father traded her
for temporary happiness. For his wife to be happy during the moment and have
the vegetable she desired, they had to give up their daughter later and would
not be able to be a part of her life.
Rapunzel was one of the many stories the Brothers
Grimm recorded, and this is not the first time Zelinsky has taken a classic
fairytale and retold it to a new generation. Stories like Rumpelstiltskin
and Hansel and Gretel have been reintroduced into the public due to Zelinsky's
storytelling and illustration.
Review Excerpts and Awards
- Caldecott Medal, 1998
- ALA Notable Children's Book, 1998
- School Library Journal's Best Books, 1997
- Horn Book Honor List, 1997
“As Zelinsky (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990, etc.) explains in
a long source note, the story's Italian oral progenitor went through a series
of literary revisions and translations before the Brothers Grimm published
their take; he draws on many of these to create a formal, spare text that is
more about the undercurrents between characters than crime and punishment.
Feeling "her dress growing tight around her waist" a woman conceives
the desire for an herb from the neighboring garden--rendered in fine detail
with low clipped hedges, elaborate statuary, and even a wandering
pangolin--that causes her to lose her child to a witch. Ensconced for years in
a tower, young Rapunzel meets the prince, "marries" him immediately,
is cast into the wilderness when her dress begins to tighten, gives birth to
twins, and cures her husband's blindness with her tears at their long-awaited
reunion.” – Kirkus Review
“An elegant and sophisticated retelling that draws on early
French and Italian versions of the tale. Masterful oil paintings capture the
Renaissance setting and flesh out the tragic figures.”-School Library Journal
Connection
If a reader is interested in other books that are by Zelinsky
and retell classic tales, these books may be suitable:
·
Rumpelstiltskin, ISBN 978-0525442653
·
Hansel and Gretel, ISBN 978-0525461524
If a reader would like to learn more about classic fairy
tales:
·
Sleeping Beauty, ISBN 978-1587171208
·
Beauty and the Beast,
ISBN 978-0060539191
·
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Grimm
Brothers, ISBN 978-1503275836
Books Illustrated By Paul O. Zelinsky. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 14, 2020, from http://www.paulozelinsky.com/list.html
RAPUNZEL. (2010, June). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/paul-o-zelinsky/rapunzel-4/
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